Saving School Budgets and the Environment In a Grumpy Economy

The biggest problem with bottled water is the plastic. The biggest problem with non-bottled water is the tap—that is, the lack of taps.  It’s hard to advocate for more reusable water consumption without water to actually put in those bottles.

In fact, banning the plastic bottle can be more of a challenge than banning the bag. The replacement product for a plastic bag is a reusable bag. Easy enough. But replacing plastic water bottles requires two components: a reusable water bottle and access to water. Less easy.

In an era of tight budgets and school cutbacks, Lake Zurich High School outside of Chicago didn’t spring for fountain installations but did take the initiative to set up water stations in the cafeteria, which is where plastic water bottles were sold. Administrators expect new water stations will save 100,000 plastic water bottles from entering the school’s waste stream.

While the school didn’t out and ban the bottle, it’s a step in the right direction. Especially since the coolers are filled throughout the day with water that comes straight from the tap instead of from some faraway spring.

On a side note, American elementary schools aren’t the only ones with tap water problems. I recall from my own experience studying abroad in the UK that water fountains are about as reliable as the vegetables lurking in the back of my fridge in college or boys at an all-girl summer camp: I could never find them, and when I could, they were gross.